What is "Safer Choice"?

Earlier this month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) announced its Safer Choice initiative, to be unveiled in late spring of 2015. Safer Choice products will be identified by their labels, and are intended to make it easier for shoppers to find kitchen and bath cleaners, carpet cleaners, and laundry products that are safer and more environmentally friendly (but still get the job done).

According to EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy, "Safer Choice products are safer for you, your kids, your pets, and the environment. Our scientists employ a stringent set of human health and environmental safety standards when reviewing products for the Safer Choice program, so a product with the label is backed by EPA science. Consumers know it's a credible stamp they can trust."

Nearly 2,000 retail products currently qualify for this labeling; and the existence of the label has applied subtle pressure on manufacturers, resulting in many new product lines developed specifically to meet this EPA criteria. Those products that are awarded the label are certified as having the safest possible ingredients to make a high-performing product.

Chris Cathcart, president and CEO of the Consumer Specialty Products Association (CSPA), praised the effort as a means of increasing product transparency and the availability of environmentally preferable products. "We are working closely with many partners, including retailers, non-governmental organizations and the EPA to identify ways that manufacturers and marketers can meet demands for 'greener' products."

While you wait for the spring rollout of the Safer Choice products, make these 4 all-natural cleaners, courtesy of Good Housekeeping:

Glass Cleaner:Use for windows and mirrors; use by combining ingredients in a spray bottle.

2 cups water

½ cup white or cider vinegar

¼ cup rubbing alcohol (70% concentration)

1 to 2 drops of orange essential oil (optional)

All-Purpose Cleaner and Deodorizer:Use for kitchen counters, appliances, and inside the refrigerator; use by pouring solution onto a clean sponge and wiping.

4 tablespoons baking soda

1 quart warm water

Grease Cleaner:Use for oven hoods and grills; use by dipping a sponge or mop into the solution, wiping surface, and rinsing with clear water.

1 gallon water

½ cup sudsy ammonia

Heavy-Duty Scrub:Use for rust stains on porcelain or enamel sinks and tubs; use by dipping the lemon into the borax and scrubbing the surface, then rinsing. (Not safe for marble or granite.)

½ cup borax (a laundry booster found in the detergent aisle)

Half of one lemon

Find mold while spring cleaning that can't be solved by at-home remedies or off-the-shelf products?

The mold remediation products used by AdvantaClean (ShockWave, Microban, Fosters 40-80, Sporicidin, etc.) all carry EPA registrations for use against fungi on semi-porous surfaces. The primary active ingredient in these products is ammonium chloride, which is absorbed at a molecular level and given a proper dwell time of a 10-minute saturation, allows the active ingredients to penetrate the roots of mold colonization.

More info? For more information on safe mold removal products and AdvantaClean's mold remediation process, read our post: Can't I Just Bleach It?